1. Elma Lewis is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
25 Facts About Elma Lewis
1. 2.
Elma Lewis had two older brothers, Darnley and George, from her mother's previous marriage.
3.
Elma Lewis attended the Ruggles Street Nursery School in 1924.
4.
Elma Lewis's parents were followers of Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey, who had immigrated to the US.
5.
Elma Lewis ascribed to his ideas the basis of her racial pride and desire to promote African culture.
6.
Elma Lewis attended Roxbury Memorial High School for Girls, where she studied voice, piano, and dance.
7.
Elma Lewis completed her Master's in Education at Boston University School of Education in 1944.
8.
Elma Lewis taught dance and drama at the Cambridge Community Center and fine arts at the Harriet Tubman House.
9.
Elma Lewis's school attracted many top professionals in the fine arts as teachers, resulting in a very rigorous program.
10.
Elma Lewis founded the National Center of Afro-American Artists, which served as an umbrella organization for the school, local arts groups, and a museum.
11.
Elma Lewis developed the Technical Theatre Program at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute, Norfolk.
12.
Elma Lewis was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1977.
13.
Elma Lewis was involved in promoting African-American culture through art forms.
14.
Elma Lewis served as a board member for various organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Congressional Black Caucus, Metropolitan Cultural Alliance, and NAACP.
15.
Elma Lewis received the Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts' highest award in the arts, and myriad other honors, including nearly thirty honorary doctorates from various universities.
16.
In 1973, Elma Lewis received a $350,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to update the school and pay the salaries of the school's staff.
17.
In 1981, Lewis was awarded a 'genius grant' by the John D and Catherine MacArthur Foundation.
18.
In 1986 Elma Lewis received the Monarch Award from the National Council for Culture and Art.
19.
In 2023, Elma Lewis was honored with a banner on Blue Hill Ave in Boston as part of the Black Women Lead project which honors Black women who have shaped or led Boston.
20.
Elma Lewis became known as the Grande Dame of Arts in Roxbury due to her school, achievements in performing arts, and her community involvement.
21.
Elma Lewis started the Elma Lewis Playhouse in Franklin Park during the summer months, which boasted such musical artists ranging from jazz composer Duke Ellington to symphony conductor Arthur Fiedler.
22.
Elma Lewis further launched a clean-up campaign to remove debris and drug paraphernalia from Franklin Park.
23.
The Elma Lewis Playhouse was renamed the "Elma Lewis Theater at Franklin Park" in 2003.
24.
Elma Lewis was beginning to suffer from severe complications of diabetes.
25.
On January 1,2004, Elma Lewis died at the age of 82 in her Boston home from pulmonary complications stemming from diabetes.